Germany abandons plans to remove the word “race” from the constitution

Germany cancels plans to modify its constitution to remove the word “race” due to legal issues and resistance from the Jewish community

Government sources said on Friday that Germany has decided to drop plans to modify its constitution to eliminate the word “race” because of potential legal issues and resistance from the Jewish community.

The intention to ban the phrase has reportedly been canceled, according to sources inside Germany’s ruling parties, as local newspapers have confirmed the decision. Referring to the term’s importance in reminding people of the horrors done during the Nazi era, especially against the Jewish community, Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, expressed his dissatisfaction with the removal.

Since 1949, the Basic Law of Germany has served as a defense against authoritarian governments, most notably the Nazi state that promoted racial ideology. According to the Basic Law, no one shall be treated better or worse than others because of their sex, parenthood, race, language, country of origin, religion, or political beliefs. 

With the intention of distancing the Basic Law from racial ideology while maintaining protection against discrimination, the justice ministry recommended in Feb. 2021 to do away with the word and replace it with a more sophisticated one. This idea was also included in the coalition agreement for 2021 by the liberal FDP, Greens, and Social Democrats. But no substitute was thought to be adequate for offering the same degree of legal protection.

As a justice ministry spokesman declined to comment on the judgment at a government news conference on Friday, the conservative coalition of the opposing CDU-CSU praised the decision, saying that “common sense has prevailed.” They maintained that the word “race” was purposefully inserted into the constitution by its founders to condemn the atrocities committed by the Nazi government.

Source: AFP